Vintage Coca-Cola Vehicles

As early as 1910, Japan wanted the rights for the Coca-Cola syrup to be sold at selected soda fountains in Tokyo. Between 1910 until the outbreak of the second world war, nearly a million bottles of Coca-Cola were sold in Japan. In June 1962, Coca-Cola Japan was granted the rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola and Fanta in Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Saga Prefectures. Operations began on July of that year. Between 1960 and 1970, sales more than doubled every year. Trucks help distribute the beverage throughout Japan.

Tomica did a good job on these trucks. The tampo printing, no matter how small, was excellent. However, some Coca-Cola cases which came with the set, barely fit inside the cargo bay of the trucks. Some do not fit at all.

Nissan C80 Coca-Cola Truck
This truck was launched by Nissan in 1966 to fill the gap in their truck models. It should be bigger than the Nissan Caball but not as big as the 5 ton Nissan 680. This 3.5 ton truck sold well during the seventies.

Nissan Caball C141
The Nissan Caball was based on the chassis and mechanism of the Junior pickup. The Caball C141 was launched in 1962. The C141 had a better engine than the C140 but they practically look the same. The Caball was the last Nissan ever to have rear hinged "suicide" doors.

Mazda E2000 truck
Mazda's D1500 trucks are quite popular in Japan during the sixties. Then in January 1964, after Mazda did some extensive research on their trucks based on customer reviews, they released the Mazda E2000. This truck can have a maximum load capacity of two tons.

Nissan Skyline Van 1600 DX
The Skyline was originally made by the Prince Motor Company in 1955, then continued by Nissan when the two companies merged in 1966. The Skyline was designed by Shinichiro Sakurai and remained a chief influence on the succeeding Skylines until his death in 2011. This van is a fourth generation Nissan Skyline which was produced in 1972.